My names Ziel
by Saiyura
Summary: Ziel is what is left of Zoro's spirit. Once strong and proud reduced to nothing but a coward. A pirate who passes all his time as a Marine... until they come, his crew, and he feels more like who he once was then ever before. Maybe he could return? RR plz


This piece took me a year and a half to finish! Hard to understand, sorry XD

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Ziel looked down at the bottle he had been drinking and didn't really understand the feelings creeping up into his heart when he heard some random comments about 'the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro' from the others in the bar. They wouldn't recognize him, he reassured himself, as he sat in the corner his arms wrapped up in bandages and his hair dyed a dark black that, no matter how badly he didn't want it to, was highlighted with a light green that was in all retrospect interesting to see. He looked at them a while longer before he decided it would be best to leave.

Slowly he stood up and nodded his thanks to the bar tender before he left the nearly silent room when they noticed him. He let a smirk drift onto his features at the fact that in this town he now lived in knew him as Ziel, though he considered himself that also more with that man's death, but he was the man they were talking about: Roronoa Zoro.

It was new, he supposed, to no longer have a bounty on his head nor to have his trusted nakama with him. He would never have it again; not with what he was now. A grunt of disgust wafted around him before a marine came to stand next to him and saluted, with Ziel's sign of dismissal did he begin to talk, "Sir, we just got word that the Mugiwara crew are on their way, what should we do?"

"Luffy…" he whispered as a small, almost ferial, grin split on his face making the man shudder as he looked at Ziel – no, he was still Zoro - and he just couldn't help but increase his speed to reach the docks; after a year in this small town and island he knew it nearly as good enough as the Thousand Sunny Go. "I've waited a long time." He said out loud before he shooed the man off.

When he stood there looking out at the sea he smiled as he leaned against the crates. He had made sure the dock was empty and that anyone, who was to dock, went to the other two. Ziel smiled as he allowed the wind to mess up his slightly shaggy hair that he had grown out to cover his light emerald eyes. His lower face, which he normally kept covered, was free to allow him the barest smell and taste of the salty wind that came from the sea. His brown shirt, long since white, was shredded and tattered. On the back it bared the Marine symbol he was forced to wear each day to state his 'new' allegiance. A grim line formed on his face at the thought of his crew and dear friends thinking him as a traitor.

"Luffy." He thought of his captain, the crew, and he felt that in that year their mourning would be finished and his position among the crew would have been handed to someone else, most likely that love struck cook Sanji, and he laughed as tears formed into the corners of his eyes at that thought. "Shitty cook." He was roughly brought out of his thoughts as a Marine ran next to him handing him two swords, he never used three anymore; except when he was training alone and he always made sure to make it stay that way.

"Thanks." He took them before standing up and he felt disgusted at the fact he was using Marine swords, not his own three swords he worked hard for, and he'd be using them on his friends, which he hoped wasn't going to happen, if things went bad.

"Sir, we've heard that they should be here any minute now, what should we do?" Ziel rolled his eyes.

"Make sure the town is safe, I'll keep them in the docks… if they aren't here for anything other than supplies then we'll fight, if not we'll give them their supplies and they'll be on their way. Understand." The marine looked confused before nodding slowly; he looked slightly pissed off at something he must have not stated.

"Sir, you're more than capable of taking them down and gaining a rank of captain! Why are you not going to do that now!" he said flustered.

Ziel looked at him with set eyes and a fierce frown, "I know I can't win and I won't allow ANYONE to be hurt because I decided to be reckless." The marine staggered back with stars in his eyes and he saluted before running off, Ziel knew he'd tell the others of this, they always boasted about how he'd do this sort of shit.

"Pathetic, I'm such a pathetic weakling!" he cursed before he looked at the sea and he smiled: there was the Thousand Sunny.

Time passed before the ship docked. Luffy, Sanji, and Franky bounded off not looking directly a head of themselves did they nearly run into Ziel standing there watching them until Robin's arms sprouted up stopping them in their tracks.

"Wha-!" they all said before looking at him. His expression was serious before he looked up at Robin nodding his thanks, she nodded back with some hesitation, and he looked at the Luffy – a man he still held high in respect- and nodded to him. He looked them all over, from whom he could see, and a grin erupted from his lips along with a barking laugh.

"Welcome to Soiree, I hope you're here for supplies, if it's anything else: then get the hell of my island." He stated before he was taken back. He called the island 'his'. That meant he was Ziel, not Zoro… when had this happened? That's right, Zoro's dead… he died while his crew lived.

They didn't respond immediately but he knew they wouldn't.

"Food, clothes, and medicine." Frankie listed off. Ziel nodded his head and waved his hand to have them follow and he chuckled at the thought of what they would say to 'Zoro, the first mate' leading the way on an island. 'They'd freak out and accuse me of being Bon Clay.'

"I've ordered the other Marines to lay back so you should be fine, but I'll be your escort just in case." He eyed the stupid cook and he chuckled with humor and he noticed the spark of curiosity and … anger... in them.

"What!" he snapped.

"Shitty cook." He said with his smirk growing and the deathly silence that fell almost made him wish he hadn't been so reckless. He was here for a reason. He was supposed to be dead. Why else would he grow his hair out, dye it black, and wear such ridiculous clothing!

"Don't… say that…" Sanji said after some difficulty and his head hung low telling Ziel of the gloom that still shrouded the group.

"So it's true after all, Roronoa Zoro is dead." He felt the lump grow in his throat and he didn't like it. "Who took his place?" no one answered giving him enough to guess that the first mate position was no longer up for grabs because it still belonged to 'him'.

"How long will it take for the log post to set?" Frankie asked.

"A week, sometimes it takes two depending on which island it locks onto." He said before adding a bit of information that they would need to go with the different set of islands that were near this one, "If it does take a week then buy a set log post because there is a whirl pool island that a lot of ships have died trying to get to." They nodded. Out of the blue Ziel started feeling slightly depressed, was he really going to allow them to leave and not take him? Or would they figure it out that he was Roronoa Zoro? Thrill raced up his spine and he had to pause before he took a deep breath.

He obviously was getting a few looks from the others before a woman raced from a nearby house and she looked at him with worry on her face. He made a bad move pausing in the street of the local market where the people knew him… of course the whole Island populace knew him.

"Ziel? Is everything all right?" she asked as she held up some liquid, alcohol he realized, and he smiled.

"Find, just remembered what's happening tonight, Catty." In turn he knew the whole island. She nodded before glaring daggers into the pirates behind him.

"Don't hurt him disgusting filth!" she spat before she raced off into the house she came from and he was left holding the alcohol with a sudden temptation to drink some.

"What was all that about?" Frankie asked, ignoring Sanji's mellorine pose.

"Booze." He said holding it up. "They tend to give it to me when I'm here." He popped open the cork and poured a small amount in and he grinned at the taste. "If you'd like I can give you some." No one said anything so he continued until he reached two Marines.

"Major?" they looked at the alcohol and they looked slightly worried at him. This happened a lot when they saw beer with him, he didn't want his crew to catch onto the meaning of it either, and nodded his head to the two telling them he was fine.

"Fine, Jack, fine." He sighed before he ordered them to take Sanji around to grab some food, telling them not to do anything for Black leg Sanji was more than enough to kill them if he felt like it. He found another Marine a few feet down and Frankie asked if he could gather some supplies to fix the Sunny. Ziel nodded before he laughed when the cyborg left with the frightened marine.

"Why don't we head out to get something to eat Luffy, I'm positive you must be hungry." And he felt his head snap as they were dragged into the nearest restaurant. Ziel had forgotten how much he hated being dragged around by his captain, though it was a pleasant relief that he could be, but it was still something his captain needed to learn not to do to 'strangers'.

"ZIEL!" a man said when Ziel collapsed onto the ground dizzily. "Stupid pirate!" he shouted as the man, Luke Ziel's brain said, and helped him up. "You okay sir?"

"Yes, for the last time I'm fine!" he said exasperated. "Mugiwara Luffy is hungry, please prepare as much meat as you possibly can on your grill, when were done I'll be sure to help you restock later." Luke nodded before glaring at the straw hat wearing eighteen year old.

That's right, Luffy was eighteen, that made Ziel twenty. When did he celebrate it? He never did… no one in the Marines knew his age, birthplace, past, or his birthday; extremely depressing, when he thought about it.

"MEAT!" Luffy shouted and Ziel was thrown from his depression again when he sat down next to the boy.

"Luffy, give Luke a moment… Luke NO POISON!" Ziel added to the man and he heard mumbling of some sort, the man was indeed going to poison his captain. "Luffy I'll taste your food before you eat it; I don't feel like having an outrage between your group and my marines." There he goes again calling them his marines. He was a traitor to his crew and Nakama. He didn't even think of them as his crew or friends after those words sprouted from his lips.

"It's okay, I trust you." Taken back Ziel looked at Luffy as he smiled. "You remind me a lot of Zoro, so I trust you." His head hung at that thought, he was crushed and he realized why he was sitting with Luffy. The boy always seemed to know who was who no matter what clothing, form, or … anything really… when it came to his friends. But to be reminded of the person that he was… disgraceful.

'It mean's I've changed more than I thought, not just with my looks.' His mind spoke before his depression hit him full forced and his head slammed against the table and he felt sick.

He was nothing to his crew; they didn't even realize that HE was Zoro… "Ziel?" he grunted. "Come on, sir, snap out of it." Ziel opened his eyes and he blinked as he saw the marines he sent with Sanji. Sanji stood behind them looking confused. "Major?"

"M'fin'." He mumbled out closing his eyes again. He felt like he was being dragged under water before something slammed against his head sending him skidding threw the broken wall of Luke's shop and he stared surprised into Sanji's eyes. His widened and he just blinked when he saw how pissed off the other looked.

"Stupid shitty bastard!" Sanji hissed out. "Your nakama are worried about you and you're more of a whining baby to snap out of whatever self loathing you're in to realize they need you!" Ziel blinked when his Marines protested and held him back as much as they could.

"None of your business shitty love cook." he spat out standing up. "You obviously know nothing about me." Ziel blinked as his vision blurred… was he crying! "I lost my friends a year ago, so don't justify your actions to whatever you think I should feel." He felt the tears fall down his face as he looked into the fuming one of Sanji before the marines were pushed aside and Sanji launched an attack.

Ziel had forgotten how good it felt to fight the cook and he felt so relaxed, so happy that he grinned when he pushed the man back, slicing at him only to have Sanji dodged getting only nicked and sometimes nothing. This was bliss for the swordsman; this is what he missed the most about his crew!

His grin broke out more before he lunged and a knee hit him in his stomach. Instead the grin was followed by a grunt of pain but it never fell.

"Disgusting!" Sanji spat out. "You pathetic… you wouldn't have a chance if Zoro was still alive… you…" Ziel's face dropped as he stood up and sheathed his swords.

"Did you even try to save him?" he asked as he remembered how his depression first started. And by the look on Sanji's face told him no, he didn't. "You have no right to judge me for being like this, if you think Zoro would have beaten me then maybe you should have 'tried' to save his shitty ass instead of letting him die, ever think of that!" he knew he went too far when Luffy's arm stretched and he was sent skidding a few more feet.

"WE tried!" Luffy was crying. "We tried… none of us… I couldn't save him… NONE OF US COULD SAVE HIM!" Luffy looked at him and Ziel sighed, he did go too far and didn't consider the captain's feelings. A horrible first mate he was, even when he was dead.

"I didn't mean to offend you." That was all that was said as Frankie came and he decided it was time for the two emotional crewmates to head back with their supplies.

That night Ziel sat at the table that his marines and the town people put together and he looked at the other places where his friends were going to sit. The town and the marines believed his crew and friends were killed and he survived. They knew his depression was from that… a feeling that he couldn't do anything to save people and a feeling his blade would never cut threw anything again. It was this feeling that he decided to give up on his goal to be the strongest swords man.

That day when he watched his friends leave on the ship, leave him slowly bleeding out into the ocean's storm into the sea in a nest of sea kings… a feeling that stuck with him as he followed his crew's progress. It felt horrible to blame them so he never did but if today's reaction was anything to consider. They felt horrible about what they did to him; a small depressed smile fell on his lips.

"… y… ey… HEY!" Ziel snapped his eyes up to stare into Sanji's and he blinked in confusion. "Finally shitty Marine, I've been standing here trying to get your attention for ages!" and Ziel laughed saying sorry before looking at the plates again and his eyes landed onto Sanji's plate, though the cook didn't realize it, and a feeling of unease landed in his stomach.

"What are all these plates doing here? Anyone sitting with you?" he asked. Ziel shook his head no and Sanji grinned before he waved his hand over and everyone came and sat down… in exactly the spots that were set up for them… though he did base it on the Thousand Sunny's seats but…

They all began talking and Ziel just looked around at them, uncomfortable and he glanced around dying for a Marine to come over to him and ask if he was okay. He didn't know how to deal with this at all; with the crew… with his feelings.

"Sir, what are they doing at your table?" Ziel snapped his head at a laughing Sanji then to Usopp and he growled out.

"Well, Shitty long nose sniper, this table your sitting at is in remembrance of my dead crew mates and nakama!" he spat out viciously and they all lost their humor. "SO if you are going to sit here don't do jack crap like that!" and he grabbed the booze at his feet and gulped down three or four mouth sized swallows before feeling better and he leaned his chin on his hand, his mood already changed.

They caught the difference and Sanji, Frankie, and the others realized why there were five kegs near Ziel's feet. "So you get drunk to get in control of your emotions." Ziel nodded. "Why? Why don't you get over it?"

Ziel closed his eyes as he remembered the gash in his stomach, arms, and the one across his neck which he was fingering right now and he spoke slowly, "I was thrown overboard during an attack by a swarm of Sea Kings, only a day prior we were in a fight and I got injured enough that I barely could lift my arms to defend myself or the others." He remembered Chopper running around and Usopp was having a difficulty using some of his bombs because of how wet the powder was now in the storm.

He told them how his friends fought and they were losing. How his friend, rival in a lot of ways, was nearly eaten if he didn't push him out of the way. How a wave crashed into the ship and he was swept overboard and in that instant he watched his ship, friends, and crew still violently fighting to the end. How they were dead because he was weak and couldn't do anything.

He remembered how over the time he was floating in the water alone for weeks his mind slowly became irrational and when he was picked up by some pirates that it was there that he realized he killed his crew for being so careless. He went on to explain that he turned the pirates in, was accepted as a Marine and in a year was a Major. Then he just stopped and swallowed more booze.

The silence he heard was enough to tell him that his story, which really was something Ziel shouldn't have said, was similar to how they lost Zoro. The looks they gave him were ones of disgust, anger, and hope before a Marine did come over.

"Sir, um… everyone is wondering why these guys are at your table…" the marine looked confused and extremely concerned.

"Nick, does it really matter if a bunch of pirates were sitting at a table for the dead or a bunch of pirates are sitting at my table talking to me instead of me talking to empty seats?" the marine stuttered before saluting and he dashed off looking back with slight mix of hope. They all were patient and if pirates made him forget about his 'dead' crew then he knew they wouldn't argue with him.

"Everyone seems to care about you." Sanji pointed out.

"They don't know me, they know nothing about me, nor will I let that happen." Ziel stated before getting up and walked off. "Enjoy the food and don't eat all of it, tomorrow half the food is going for the second party." He looked at Luffy. "Please." And he walked off to get to his room and change out of his clothes to head off to bed.

The morning that followed him was pleasant and he grinned before he looked around his room and in the middle of it was a present from the other marines who, from the looks of it, didn't want to wake him up to give it to him. He laughed before opening it up and he spotted the brand new clothes. A uniform with the emblem of the marines and a green haramaki with black pants that had tatters in it from the middle quad down, no boots, he expected that.

"Guess my other shirt was in need to be repaired." And he walked to his closet and pulled out a light blue sleeveless shirt and pulled it over his head before the shirt, pants and last his Haramaki and then he pulled on his boots. He felt good with the extra warmth on his stomach, a feeling he forgot in that year and he slipped his two swords into it before wrapping a red bandana across his arm like he did before and walked out of the room not caring about his hair.

He briskly walked around town making sure everyone was okay for tonight and he made his way to the harbor. He desired to see how his crew were doing and it surprised him how much he wanted to feel a part of their crew again that he stopped and debated whether he should or not go and talk to them.

"Ziel!" Ziel jumped when he saw Luffy running up to him. "You came! See Sanji, I told you he'd come!" Sanji rolled his eyes but Ziel noticed him looking over his outfit.

"You look more like Zoro…" he said in a hollowed voice.

"Shitty cook." Ziel said with a laugh before he messed up Luffy's hair. "How was the party last night?" he noticed others form the ship were there now and he looked at Brooke waiting for something, he didn't-

"It was excellent! Though I ate too much now I shall become FAT; though I'm a skeleton… skull joke!" Ziel stared at him before clutching his sides and laughed. THAT was perfect!

"You okay?" Nami asked touching his shoulder.

"Fine, wasn't expecting a joke from Brooke… though a talking skeleton should joke, else it would be weird if he DID get fat." Brooke was the one to laugh at that, as was the crew, and he straightened out before he looked at Sunny. "I hope you've stocked up well?" Sanji nodded as did the others.

"Hey… Ziel, can you show us around the Island!" Luffy bounded clinging to his arm.

"Luffy, I'm sure he has some stuff to do other than babysit us."

"No, I'm free… well until Smoker comes and bosses me around, got nothing else to do." Their eyes bugged out at the mention of Smoker and he laughed. "Don't worry, he's not coming for a month." They relaxed.

"Ziel?" Chopper asked and Ziel looked down at the reindeer. "Is your hair Green or black?" taken back he looked at the others and noticed that it had been much controversial amongst them about the original color of his hair.

"Hm, I am not actually sure really. Looks black at night and green in light, maybe both?" he was nervous, he didn't want the crew to know it WAS him… why not? Why not tell them?

"Sorry…" Robin stepped forward. "We do not mean to pry, but… we all feel as if we've known you for a while now and…" he saw her force herself to finish. "You remind us of Zoro." He smiled before turning around.

"I wouldn't say that around the villagers or Marines, they don't like people comparing me to pirates… they gave Smoker hell when he did that last time he came." He stopped and he had to force down the laugh that came to cease, yet he was laughing a lot with his crew near him. "Don't tell them either that I'm laughing like this… they'd be extremely angry." He whipped the tears from his eyes and he waved for them to follow.

He showed them the village, the forest, the marine base, the training room, the kitchen… everything. He knew what they'd like and he was so happy that he did when he saw a smile on their faces. The other marines would look at him and he knew they were whispering, he'd deal with it later… except they looked like they wanted an answer now.

"I'll be right back." He said and walked out and looked at two younger ones who just joined his unit. "Yes?"

They looked at him before starting, "Sir, I don't think we should give them a tour!" then a pause. "Sir… We don't understand why are you acting so friendly? I've never seen this from you, not even the others who've been here with you the WHOLE YEAR!"

"They remind me of my former crew." He seethed and he turned and walked back in. He used past tense when he thought of the crew. This wouldn't sit well with the Marines or the town when they heard it. They would distance him tell the Mugiwara crew left.

"Is everything okay?" Robin asked as he came back in.

"No, but it doesn't matter." And he motioned them out and he told them goodbye before closing the door and he decides he needed to get his frustrations out.

He had lost everything while he trained in the forest and he was only forced to stop as he had to take in a deep breath. He was exhausted and he collapsed against the tree he was slowly slicing up. He closed his eyes before he heard laughter, jokes, and his crew. He thought it was his mind playing tricks until he heard gasps and hoofs against his skin and someone laying him down. Then there was water against his lips.

Blinking he looked into Chopper's face as he checked up on him, looking a little bit left he saw Sanji and the others. "I don't remember showing you this clearing." He coughed out.

"I found the place." Chopper said. "Herb gathering." Ziel laughed, should've realized that. He closed his eyes and slowly his breathing came back to normal and he could move easier before he sat up and stared at them all.

"Well, you found my training spot." He said as he slowly stood up, though Chopper said it was best not too.

"Sorry, we can leave if you want."

"No, I'm done training; I was just taking a break when you got here." They nodded as he picked up his three swords and a hand gripped his wrist. He looked up into Sanji's wide eyes, and the others.

"You use three swords." He nodded. "Why do you only use two when you're around the town's people and the marines?"

"Because it's a dead giveaway." And he yanked his arms out of his hold and left the group.

The week went by quickly and then with a quick relief Ziel learned that they haven't gotten the bad direction from their log post. It was a pleasant surprise, considering the crews luck. Ziel didn't bother very much with talking with them anymore, after the paper work his marines were giving him for that purpose alone. Though at odd moments the crew would come and talk to him and he laughed at how it flustered the marines.

Today was one of those days, he noted, when Robin walked in and following her was the cook and Chopper. "Where are the others?" he asked.

They didn't respond as they sat down and his curiosity slowly was edging into fear and worry. "What happened?" he asked more firmly but they still didn't say anything.

Until a knock on the door and Tashigi walked into the room, "I can't believe you Ziel!" Ziel blinked before looking at Sanji and the others. This wasn't right.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked nervously.

"You're harboring PIRATES! On top of that the Mugiwara's!" Ziel glanced sideways as he nodded and he knew Tashigi was even more pissed off by his responce. "You could be carted off as a criminal! Captain Smoker won't stand for it and once he gets a hold of Luffy you'll get what is coming to you." That caused them all, but Tashigi, to snort.

"I promised them that as long as they don't damage the island or hurt anyone then they could stay until their log post sets, I'd rather be overly cautious and lose my rank and that then having someone else die on me." Tashigi went silent and watched as he stood up and slowly put his swords to his waist.

Ziel frowned as he realized what he was doing; he was more loyal to his captain then to the marines. This wasn't what he would have liked to have happened but… if he could save Luffy and the others then he could set anything he felt aside. "Tashigi, move." He stated and he watched her move.

How long has it been since he once again acted like Zoro? He didn't know and as he moved forward he looked behind him at the three and motioned them to follow.

"You'll be killed!" she shouted after him with worry and hope that he would stop.

"I already made up my mind; you know I'm stubborn that way."

He didn't bother to look at anyone, not even the villagers, as he went to the docks and made sure they were ready to go. What he didn't like was looking at the marines Smoker brought with him and knowing that what he was going to do would be the end of the peace he had.

"You do not have to do this, you know." Robin said to him as he looked at the marines looking in confusion upon him.

"Already promised to your crew; I never break my promises." His breath hitched at that, he broke two promises. Luffy and Kuina's, he sighed, he would deal with it later. "Everyone off the ship and please do not do anything irrational."

They didn't listen and he knew then it was the hard way. In a mere second his feet landed on the grass of the deck and he dropped down pulling both his swords out and began knocking them down or off the ship. He didn't bother doing anything fancy but he soon noticed that over his shoulder his crewmates, former crew he chided, were following his lead. He chuckled and in that time realized they didn't need his help anymore.

"Ziel!" Chopper shouted as he jumped off the ship. "Where are you going?" Ziel laughed at Chopper.

"Your captain needs help; I'm going to try to figure out how to stop Smoker." And he ran after that was said.

Zoro was a person who was strong, no emotions clouded his judgment, and he always helped his crew. Ziel on the other hand was a coward, a person who couldn't do anything on his own because of his depression. So of course Ziel was getting in his way when he thought of his captain dead or the others for that fact and it bothered him enough that he had to mentally slap himself.

"Why the hell can't I be who I was before?" he cursed to no one before he came to a scene with Luffy pinned down with sea stone cuffs on. "Smoker!" he said lowly before his eyes trailed over the already bruising rubber skin and shot eyes from carbon dioxide.

"Ziel." He said and rose swiftly to his feet. "I knew you were soft but you just reached a low perch with this stunt." Ziel's eyes landed on Smokers before he sheathed his swords.

"I didn't come here to fight, their log post is set, they haven't ruined my town, hurt anyone, so with my promise they get to go free, that is my justice and you damn well know it!" Smoker's eyes narrowed as he stalked forward and slowly Ziel stepped back, his gritted his teeth at the smirk on Smokers face. He didn't want to be weak in front of his enemy or his captain.

"Zoro?" Smokers eyes landed on Luffy's as they looked at Ziels… no, Luffy were right he was Zoro, why didn't he consider himself that? Why did he consider himself so weak like Ziel?

"Your first mate is dead, we found his body. He's dead." Zoro stared at Smoker and the look in his eyes was enough for Ziel to fade away.

"Hehe." He chuckled as he straightened up. "I knew you figured it out." Slowly he began walking forward. "I just didn't expect you to actually say something like that… considering I'm a pirate." Smoker snapped his attention to Zoro and he knew that Ziel was no longer in those green eyes.

"It is about time you gave up on that stupid mind set. Wasn't becoming of a man who was the first mate to the disgusting Mugiwara's." Luffy's eyes widened as he looked at Zoro more clearly.

"Shut it, he doesn't need to know that." Zoro couldn't figure out what he was going to say, do, or even how to save Luffy. He only knew that Smoker was an opponent he couldn't win against easily. "I'm taking my captain to his ship to leave; I promised them safe passage when they promised not to destroy this island."

"Who promised? Ziel or Zoro?" Zoro didn't flinch as he said calmly and he saw the restraint in Smokers neck to not step back.

"Ziel." In Smokers eyes he knew Ziel was a good Marine, he did his jobs- lazily -and he always needed alcohol to keep moving but he always thought of those under him and the town. He was good Marine and Smoker couldn't help but feel mixed at what he was seeing.

Ziel wasn't in front of him, Roronoa Zoro was. Yet the look in his eyes showed him that Ziel was ready for the punishment his actions would take as a Marine. He was an excellent Marine and Smoker didn't want to ruin that because of something as small as the man's sense of justice.

"You promised as Major Ziel." Zoro nodded. "Your justice is on the line, not mine. Keep that in mind when I take you in for your punishment."

Zoro nodded before walking over to Luffy and throwing him over his shoulder and walked off, a dry smirk on his face.

"Zoro?" Minutes had passed as they gathered distance and were heading back to the dock. "Is it really you?"

Taking a deep breath Zoro nodded, "Yeah Luffy, it's me." He heard the tears and figured the boy would need a few minutes to think so he didn't say anything else.

"Why?" Luffy said in his marine shirt. "Why didn't you try to find us?" hurt, Zoro knew that feeling, and betrayal drifted in Luffy's words.

"I told you, didn't I, when I was thrown overboard I believed you were all dead… I found wrecked ship parts and…" there was a lot of blood. He didn't say anything else before he sat Luffy down and began to take off the cuffs.

"But… afterwards… you could have figured it out… why?" Zoro looked into Luffy's crying eyes and he wiped them away.

"I already pledged to be a Marine… I thought that would be the quickest way to…" he didn't say anything else and Ziel's emotions were swarming back. "When you all died my mind split in two… Ziel is the Marine… I gave up, not really caring that I was still a pirate… Ziel …" he didn't say anything more as he stood up and punched the nearest tree. "I'm no longer Zoro, your first mate… I believed you were all dead… Luffy," he spun again and looked at Luffy. "I'm already dead, so it doesn't matter."

The look Luffy gave Zoro was enough to tell the other man that the boy didn't believe it at all. It was heart breaking to see Luffy this sullen and angry at him but he grinned and laughed and shrugged it off as he helped Luffy stand up and walked to the ship.

"You can still come back." He said and Zoro didn't respond to him, not to that. "Zoro… you can come back, you're our nakama after all." He didn't say anything until he saw the port.

"You ship should be ready to sail, I told the marines to get the ship ready for sail so it should be ready, if not I'll force them to do that stack of paper work they've given me." He moved to lean against a tree and closed his eyes, waiting to hear Luffy retreat.

"ZORO!" he dropped to the ground to avoid the whip like leg. "WE are not leaving without you again!" he said his tears still falling. "You're our Nakama… you're in pain…" he quickly pulled the green black haired marine into a hug when Zoro couldn't get his balance back quickly enough. "Look at what we did to you!" his voice was a whisper and muffled by his mouth against his shirt.

"Luffy!" Luffy jumped but his grip did not loosen. "Go now." He spoke in his voice, the voice of the strong First Mate that Luffy remembered and he saw the fear in those eyes. "I hereby leave your crew and resign my title as First Mate. From here on we are no longer Nakama." Luffy paled before Zoro pushed him away and down the road to the docks. "Now leave me alone."

He watched the dejected Luffy leave his side, crying, and he turned to look at Smoker, who had stayed hidden from Luffy and him their entire way back to the harbor. "What now?" he asked slowly losing his strength to Ziel's stronger resentment and the depression only grew worse with each step Luffy took.

"You're still a pirate, no matter how you look at it." Zoro chuckled before he slid down the tree the tears Ziel pushed forward was enough to know that Zoro was dead again.

"T-thanks for letting them g-go." He whispered threw both his tears and Ziel's tears.

"You've changed a lot, Roronoa… No Talik Ziel."

As Luffy demanded the ship to set sail he looked up to where he saw Zoro and Smoker talking, he watched Zoro slide down the tree and he noticed how Smoker pulled out one of Zoro's sword and he ran to the bow shouting Zoro's name. The crew looked up and watched in horror as the Marine, Ziel, was killed.

Later that night Luffy told them of how Ziel was actually Zoro. It was a hard blow for the crew, a blow that slowly made the picture of their first mate and friend grow bigger.

Zoro had saved them again, this time with the cost of his own life. They had left Zoro in that nest of Sea kings and their punishment had been placed when they docked on that Island. They saw Zoro again, their friend broken and already near death from their betrayal, and they were to witness his death. They placed Zoro's picture with incents and his three beloved swords to remember who had kept the crew alive on more than one occasion.

* * *

Forgive my spelling and grammar


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